


out in the wild, with you my dear

by Clovercove



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Gen, Good Parent Joxaren | The Joxter, Joxaren | The Joxter Meets Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Snufkin is three, Tags will be edited as the story progresses, almost forgot! But Snufkin actually despises curse words, and i'm pretty sure that's what most people want to see, but Mumriks mature faster than humans, but there is a dragon arc that will come up at some point, dont be alarmed, hes pretty protective of Snufkin, oc's that don't really matter, so he knows a pretty hefty amount of vocabulary, so i'm here to deliver
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2020-04-12 15:26:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19134844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clovercove/pseuds/Clovercove
Summary: The Mymble wanted Joxter to spend more time with his child, so he decides to do just that. It may take a couple years to get him home though. they'll visit perhaps.AKA: the adventures of Joxter and his son Snufkin, filled with fluff and action packed hugging!(do consider reading, I tend to make horrible Summaries)





	1. of foxes and travels

Joxter would really rather not be out right now. He would love to be lazing the day away in the treetops, eating the succulent fruit and conversing with the chattering birds that loved to gossip so. But instead, he was down on the ground corralling his young son from chasing the poor family of foxes. The foxes in question just came out of curiosity, possibly to speak to the new forest inhabitants, but instead were now the playthings for his dearest son of only 3 years of age. He had not yet learned that other creatures would much rather be left alone to go about their day than be chased, but Joxter found that this could be a learning experience for his dear son.

With practiced grace, The Joxter scooped up his son seconds before he was about to pounce on the poor father fox and deposited him in his hat. The elder fox looked relieved and skittered off towards his family, that which held a wife and two pups. 

“My dear Snufkin, you must not chase after those who don’t desire to be chased” Joxter gently reprimanded, hooking the fabric to a low hanging tree branch and briskly walked towards the foxes. To his surprise, they did not bound away from him. “I am most sorry,” Joxter offered, dipping his head just a bit.

“Why, its is quite fine. Though i do wish you teach your child to be a bit more courteous next time someone approaches,” the father fox chuckles, padding towards him. 

“We simply wanted to see who wandered into our forest and decided to stay. It is quite dangerous in these parts,” the mother fox said, glued to her husband's side.

“No travel is right without it,” Joxter smiled. “It’s rather bold of you to claim ownership of the whole forest, wouldn’t you think?”

“It’s just the truth,” one of the children piped up.

“Now, little kit, I do believe you're wrong. The forest belongs to everyone. It’s rude to take more than you need, or deserve,” Joxter said, an air of authority enveloping him. The pup looked upset, but he paid no mind. A little thump was heard behind him and Joxter knew his own little pup got out.

“Snufkin dear, I do believe we should head out now. Come now, pack up,” The Joxter ordered the little figure.

“I do believe we are owed an apology,” the father spoke up, puffing his furred chest out towards the taller man. 

“Why is that?” The Joxter's interest was piqued.

“He chased us around with no good reason. He must apologize,” the second pup said.

“Now, does this entire family believe they have more rights than us? You think my son must do what you want, simply because you want it. He had done something he did not think was troublesome, and now he has learned not to do it,” was his reply. 

Before the family of foxes could say anything else, The Joxter was up in the trees, concealed by the leaves. His son was already packing up his things, that being a bowl and a few trinkets he found on the forest floor while exploring. Joxter preferred to carry the heavier things until Snufkin grew a tad more, for he could still fit in his hat. Joxter could very well cover his sons back with just his one hand. 

“I didn’t mean to anger them,” Snufkin said, holding his small bag close to his chest.

“I know love, I know. Never apologize if you truly meant no harm. However, if you do mean harm,” The Joxter sent a pointed look his son’s way. Then it turned into a cheeky grin. “Tell me, and we can handle it together.”

Snufkin beamed up at his trickster father and helped him pack. The day was warm and sunny, meaning their travels will be easy and carefree, in contrast to the travels prior where there had been a nasty storm and they didn’t get far before they had to take shelter in the woods. The birds were the only animals they had interacted with at first, before the foxes came around, and they were quite a joy to talk to as Snufkin came to understand. They chattered constantly, and the bright colors held in their feathers entranced Snufkin so much so that he declared to his father that he could look at them for hours. That is, until his father challenged him to do just that and he got bored within the hour, much to the displeasure of the birds who loved the attention and praise.

“Why are we leaving? You did say you liked it here, and you don’t tend to let others tell you what to do,” Snufkin asked after a long while. 

“My dearest, they did not tell me to leave. I simply decided that we have spent much to long here. It is lovely, I still stand by that, but I have gotten bored here sitting in the same spot and listening to the chit chat of the birds. Much to loud if you ask me. Too many souls crowding up the place, wouldn’t you agree?” The Joxter tilted his head towards his young charge, a warm smile on his face. Snufkin nodded down at the man, swinging his legs back and forth from his advantage point up on one of the highest branches of the tree. 

Snufkin couldn’t remember the last time they had set up camp on the ground. It had always been more fun to be up in the trees, with the sky so close, almost like you could touch it. Snufkin had a feeling his father liked that as well, though he often told Snufkin it was because they were safer up in the trees. He would miss the chatter of the birds and the silly insignificant stories they told him. He made one particular friend in an orange bird that always had her neck puffed up, as if trying to impress the small Mumrik. He would miss her, as she would miss him, But he knew they were due to leave any time now. He only wished he could say goodbye to her, but she was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

“Come down now, my heart. We should be off,” Joxter called up to his son from the floor of the forest, now desert of any foxes. Snufkin shook the image of his new friend from his head and jumped down, safely caught in his father's arms. Others would scold their child from jumping from such a height, but not The Joxter. Children would be children. And Joxter will be Joxter, doing the same thing Snufkin does. No need for him to be a hypocrite now.

They made there way across the forest, stopping every now and again for Snufkin to watch a bug take flight or Joxter to be pulled from his napping spot by a restless child. The warm summer day changed before their eyes, turning dark and humid, though still comfortable to travel in. Neither father nor son could stay still, for they had lazed about the entire day and weren’t tired, so they both agree to just travel the night as well. They also agreed that they would sleep through the upcoming day. They didn’t have a specific time limit. They didn’t even have a destination. Oh, how they loved not having a destination. 

The Joxter was overjoyed to find that his son was much like him in that aspect. When he traveled, he preferred not to have a destination in mind. It allowed the world to steer him wherever it liked. It led him places he’s never been before day in and day out, giving him exciting new adventures and memories he could tell his dear wife, The Mymble, when he got back. That, and the only location he ever cared to memorize was The Mymble’s home. His son turned out to be much the same, besides the wife aspect. He was born with the heart of a traveler, destined to explore the world to its fullest extent. Joxter was excited for Snufkin’s new little eyes to see all that the world had to offer. He wanted his son to experience all the joys he got to experience. And Snufkin wanted the same. Nothing fills Joxter with such joy than that of Snufkin telling him of a pretty flower he saw, or an animal that had patterns he had never seen before. 

Joxter was snapped out of his musing by his son tugging on the hem of his dress.

“Papa, it’s almost daylight. We should set up camp. I’m getting sleepy,” his son stated in choppy sentences and drowsy words. His father chuckled and picked up the child, placing him in his hat and setting it on a tree branch yet again. Being as quiet as possible, The Joxter placed down his bag and fished out his sleeping bag, placing it gingerly on a low hanging branch next to where Snufkin was. He has a sneaking suspicion that Snufkin liked to sleep in his hat, so he left his son's sleeping bag in the backpack and instead just picked up the hat with the sleeping bundle inside and held it close to his chest, sleeping peacefully through the warm summer day.


	2. of hot towns and water spirits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joxter and Snufkin come across a woman who is in a bit of a tricky situation. Well, more like a town that's in a bit of a tricky situation.

The two Mumrik's have been traveling for quite a while, seeming to be stuck in a loop of waking at night and sleeping the day away. Neither were particularly miffed by this, and neither found a reason to switch it back, for they both had night eyes. It was just a darker day to them. So they kept on like this for as long as they wished before they finally exited the woods, enjoying the bright moon to its fullest extent out in the open fields. Waves of flowers caressed their ankles as father and son pranced around the hilly expanse, happy to be out of such a restrictive area. Out in the fields, they both wished to see its beauty in the daylight, so finally with motivation to do so, they slept through the night. Sure enough, when they awoke mid-day, the fields were even more beautiful. The colors of the flowers shone brightly up at the two Mumriks, seeming like a hello to them from all the days they missed.

The flowery expanse only lasted so long, and soon enough they were back in the woods, though these woods were much less dense than the one prior. It lasted only half a day before it opened up to show them a small town, brick houses spewing up smoke from their chimneys despite it being mid summer.

“Why do they all have fires lit? I don’t understand, It’s much too hot for that,” Snufkin said in a slightly irked tone. The heat from all the fires could be felt from where they stood, turning the pleasantly warm day into an uncomfortably hot scorcher. Joxter seemed just as annoyed, though he concealed it well.

“I haven’t a clue, love. Shall we find out?” Joxter asked, picking Snufkin up as he descended the hill. Snufkin nodded, trying to wriggle out of his father’s arms. It was much to hot with the added fire, and he didn’t need to be held close to someone who was just as hot. Despite that, The Joxter held steadfast onto his little son, determined to at least get down the hill before setting his son down. Before they even reached the flat ground, a woman was running up to them, waving her arms around wildly. 

“Dear sir, dear sir! I do implore you to stay atop that hill!” she shouted out to them, though it was to late. The Joxter stood at the bottom of the hill, freeing his squirming son from his arms. He tipped his hat at her as she slowed down her pace, though her expression was even more distraught than before. 

“Hullo there. What do you need, might I ask?” Joxter asked. Snufkin lifted his dress up a bit to cool himself down, fanning himself with it.

“Oh dear oh dear, this is simply horrid. Sir, you really should have stayed on that hill. Now they surely know your here!” the lady stuttered out in a hushed tone. That piqued Joxter’s interest.

“Who are they?”

“Why, the Iku-Turso’s followers!” The Joxter was shocked by what he just heard. What were they doing so far from the sea? 

Iku-Turso was a malevolent sea monster that tended to do the bidding of Louhi, the lady of the north, so it made no sense to Joxter why his followers were all the way out here, landlocked by mountains. Before he could ask his question, the lady ushered him and his son towards the town with great haste. The heat radiating from the town was uncomfortable a distance away, but standing in the middle of it it was near unbearable. More than once he wavered from the heat. The woman must have noticed and sped up her pace, for they finally stopped at a house near the middle of the town. They were ushered in, and both father and son were glad to find that the inside was as cold as winter, though how that worked they hadn’t a clue. A fire was crackling in the fireplace, but it seemed that there was a little barrier between them and it. The barrier shimmered, looking like a thin film of water.

“What is that? And why is it so hot here?” Snufkin asked, pointing at the shimmering barrier. The woman simply ignored him, instead facing The Joxter with a glint in her eyes. He silky long hair looked frizzy in the heat, making Joxter think she would look very beautiful had she not been here.

“Sir, you are in grave danger now. Iku-Turso’s followers have been pillaging this land for months now, searching for the traitor whom they believe is here. They watch everyone who enters and doesn’t let them leave. You most certainly cannot exit now!” she said, sitting on a plush chair. She waved to a seat opposite to hers, and Joxter sat down.

“Well, have you told them the traitor isn’t here?” The Joxter suggested. The woman shook her head, eyes downcast.

“That is our problem. The traitor is here. They live with the coal merchant. You see, the spirits name is Virtaava vesi. They came to us about a year ago, seeking shelter and a hiding place from the group of followers they had abandoned. In return they would help us through the drought we had been suffering. As time went by we learned to accept Virtaava vesi as our friend and family member. So I do believe it came easy to us to defend them when the group of followers caught up with them,” she said.

Joxter took a moment to gather all that he just found out. He had had a few run ins with the followers of Iku-Turso, and they were not pleasant to say the least. He scanned the woman, trying to see if she was hiding anything. Her posture and facial expression held no secrets. She was being as open with him as she could ever be. Joxter took into consideration everything he now knew, and was about to offer a simple solution before Snufkin piped up, offering his words of wisdom.

“Why must it be so hot then?” he asked as he padded over to his father, climbing up his leg to sit on his lap. 

“To fend off the spirits, little one,” The Joxter smiled down at his son.

“Well, surely spirits don’t get heat stroke,” he asked incredulously, pawing at his father’s pant leg. The Joxter laughed and shook his head, agreeing with his son.

“Well yes, they can’t get heat strokes, but spirits can be vulnerable to many things just like us. Remember love, they are water spirits. They don’t do well in the heat,” he carefully explained to his cub. Snufkin gave a hum of understanding and looked over to the woman.

“We haven't introduced ourselves,” Snufkin pointed out, making the lady blush and causing The Joxter to laugh.

“Oh, why, i’m so terribly sorry. I just dropped all that on you without even giving you my name! Awfully silly of me, I must admit. My name is Whiny-so,” she kindly told them, turning to hide her blush. That was the moment Joxter took the time to study her, for before that moment she was a nameless stranger. No use putting time into knowing strangers, if you ask Joxter and Snufkin. But now she was no stranger. She was Whiny-so. She had lovely blonde hair that, as stated before, was frizzy and wild. It reached her hips, being tied together at the very end by a small beaded tie. She held a bulky frame, but wasn’t fat, and was awfully short compared to Joxter, though still standing higher than little Snufkin.

“What a lovely name, I must say. It reminds me of a horse. My name is Snufkin,” his son introduced, looking up at Joxter expectantly.

“Yes, and I am The Joxter,” he offered her a warm smile. “Now, why were there no people when we were led here? There wasn’t a soul on the streets.” Whiny-so fiddled with her dress nervously before answering.

“Most everyone was taken by the followers. Every day they take someone new, hoping to coax Virtaava vesi into giving up and turning themselves in. My husband was taken just days before. Most people stay inside now” she said, fiddling with a piece of string that came loose from her dress. “The heat makes the spirits weak, but not powerless. The only reason the spirits have not taken everyone is because of the heat. Though, soon enough the heat will be useless. Virtaava vesi decided that they will turn themselves in so that the captured townsfolk could be set free,” she sighed, slouching in her chair.

“Well, wouldn’t you like to see your husband? You have known that spirit for only a year,” Joxter asked, moving Snufkin to be in a more comfortable position. 

“Oh, how I would love to see that old dummy of mine. I plan on getting captured next actually. The leftover townsfolk are planning on thinking up a game plan soon, and i’m no good at thinking of those things. I’d much rather be with my husband and get saved,” Whiny-so explained, as if it was the most logical thing to do.

The Joxter huffed out a laugh, still a bit confused as to why she wanted to get captured. It made no sense to him, nor Snufkin. She explained the kidnappings as a bad thing, then told them she would rather be captured than help with the breakout. Both son and father looked at each other with puzzled expressions, having a conversation simply through body language. Then the Joxter made a funny face and shrugged, making Snufkin giggle a bit and make his own funny face. This exchange continued on for only a moment, faces getting sillier and sillier.

“Well now! You aren’t even taking this seriously! And aren’t men supposed to talk me out of doing dangerous things?” Whiny-so interrupted, standing up with her hands on her hips. Snufkin looked up at her, funny face still in place. Whiny-so didn’t seem to like that and stormed off towards the kitchen. The Joxter turned to his son with a mischievous smile and called out towards the woman.

“Well now, you can’t be serious all the time! And why should we talk you out of something you want to do? What right do we have over the decisions others make?” He smiled at Whiny-so, though her back was still turned towards him. A moment passes before she spins around, a heated expression clear on her face.

“Because it’s dangerous! Reckless! Wild! I could get hurt or die! And you will not try to stop me! So my blood could very well be on your hands!” she cried, pointing an accusing finger towards The Joxter. He simply held his hands up in a surrendering gesture, though that was the last thing he was planning on doing.

“Not if I hadn’t killed you. If I cannot see the blood on my hands, then it is not there. You want to be stopped, but you are still going. Why is that?” he said, patting his son’s hair affectionately. Her face was bright red and her mouth was wide open, quite obviously disgruntled.

“I, uhm, well” a pause “I don’t know” she finally admitted, slumping back down on her chair. “ I think my husband would stop me.”

“Well, I do believe you are trying to tell us something, though you are being quite obscure about it,” Snufkin said, swinging his legs back and forth. Joxter rewarded his observations with a pat on the head before Snufkin got bored and jumped down from his father’s legs. He scurried up the back of the chair, grabbing onto one of the rafters on the ceiling. He must miss being in the wild, Joxter thought. They hadn’t slept in a tree once after the forest with the foxes, so poor Snufkin must be missing the bark and the many limbs he could jump on and off of. 

Whiny-so cleared her throat, intertwining her fingers again and again. Joxter looked at her expectantly.

“Yes, he is right. I have been very cryptic about what I want from you two. I would like you to help us,” she conceded, staring into Joxter’s eyes with determination. Joxter laughed, smiling at her with sharp teeth. He scanned the rafters, catching Snufkin’s eyes. He smiled down at his father, mirroring the exact smile Joxter gave Whiny-so just seconds before, and jumped down into Joxters waiting arms. He placed his son down and stood up, looking down at Whiny-so with wild eyes, yearning for adventure.

“We’ve been waiting for those words”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like OC's, don't worry! I made Whiny-so up on the spot and she will only be here for this arc! mainly just an exposition character. tell me in the comments if you want me to use more in-depth original characters. heck, you can even suggest some in the comments if you want, though, don't expect them to be in the story for more than one or two arcs. I like focusing on canonical characters.


	3. of morning missions and flute melodies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the morning starts out rocky, calms in the afternoon, and gets bumpy near the end.

Snufkin was tired from his travels, so father and son both decided they would get a good night's rest before wrecking havoc the next day. They slept in Whiny-so’s spare room, however uncomfortable the bed was. Joxter was rather uncomfortable wearing his sweat filled dress, so he decided to borrow the clothes Whiny-so didn’t care to pick up from the guest room, dressing himself and Snufkin in them. She had very flowery clothing, so Joxter and Snufkin looked rather ridiculous, especially considering the size differences. Poor Snufkin was tripping endlessly before his father tied the dress to his knees. To Joxter, the dress was more of a shirt, so he had to keep his slacks on. Before bed, Whiny-so had one last conversation with them.

“Are you going to think of a strategy before bed?” she asked, holding out a candle holder for them to take.

Joxter smiled his wild smile and simply said, “No.” Truly a gentleman, one might describe Joxter as. Whiny-so scoffed, though she couldn’t hold in her laugh.

“I was expecting no less,” they went off to bed then, offering no pleasantries. No need, in their eyes.

The next day was hectic, so much so that Whiny-so had no time to inquire about the new fashion choices of the two males. They were awoken by a scream coming from down the street. All else stayed inside, used to the unpleasant wake up call. Not Joxter, nor Snufkin. They burst out the door, despite Whiny-so’s pleas, and took off towards the house. The door was ajar, giving them free access to the horrors that were inside.

The spirit had no consistent form, changing constantly into different, horrible shapes. The watery body was shaky and dripping, weakened by the heat and struggling to keep shape. The fireplace had no fire lit and the watery barrier had a hole in it, no doubt the Spirits doing. The spirit had a tendril curled around the torso of an old man reaching out to Joxter and Snufkin like they were his last hope. The grip on the man loosened when the spirit took notice of them. Joxter looked and Snufkin and they both had a short conversation in their heads before the young boy nodded, scurrying up to the rafters and out of sight. 

Joxter rushed up to the spirit, not at all surprised that, as he reached for the tendril, his hand passed right through it. It did manage to cut off the limb from the rest of the body for just a second, resulting in it collapsing and setting the man free. The man hobbled outside into the waiting arms of a neighbor, quickly being escorted into a new house and out of sight. With his original target lost, the spirit set its attention on Joxter. A grave mistake on the spirits part. 

Snufkin came barreling down towards the Spirit, grasping a bucket he snatched from the top of the rafters. Joxter could only guess that the man had had a leak and never took it down afterwards. He didn’t think too much into it. Snufkin slammed the bucket onto the presumed head of the spirit, successfully distracting it as the duo made their escape. It took mere seconds for the entity to rip off the bucket but Snufkin and Joxter were gone by that time.

As they rushed back towards Whiny-so’s home, Snufkin smiled up at his father and asked “are you truly confident that it won’t go after anyone else?”

“Oh, love, i’m most assured,” the Joxter laughed while sweating bullets, not at all confident in what he said. They skidded to a halt before the door of their destination, slamming it open and shutting it quickly before dropping down to the floor. Whiny-so poked her head out from behind the kitchen wall, a relieved face quickly transforming into one of ferocity as she stomped over.

“That, was reckless. I thought my idea was insane, but you truly one-uped me on that one, boys” she scoffed, hands on her hips. The two boys could clearly tell it was just and act, trying to hide how relieved she was to see them. However, neither of them brought it up, both too scared of the woman's wrath to point out her obvious lying. 

The hours afterward were mellow and calm. They heard no more screams, so they all came to the conclusion that the spirit quickly retreated after their little stunt. The house held a silence in it that was almost tangible. No one knew what to talk about. Whiny-so wanted to ask them what they planned on doing, but she was much too shy to do that. The Joxter felt that he had done a job well enough to deserve a few hours to nap, so nap he did. He was splayed across the floor of the guest bedroom, though no body part touched the bed frame. No words could describe how much The Joxter hated beds. Snufkin was itching to do something. He had been surrounded by so many new people recently, and he now felt the great urge to be alone. So with great ease he slipped past Whiny-so’s pacing form and out the door.

Almost immediately he was overwhelmed by the heat. The Adrenalin given to him that morning is what got him through the attack, but that Adrenalin was long gone. Poor Snufkin was sweating bullets. That did little to deter him however, and without missing a beat he skipped out onto the quiet street. It was mid-day, though there were still no creatures in sight. A town this large felt wrong being so desolate and quiet. He remembered many of the other towns he had visited with his father, though he couldn’t recite their names. No use remembering small details like that when Snufkin could be learning the many stories the townsfolk loved to tell. There were few towns as desolate as this one, and even those were small and cramped. It seemed, compared to all the other towns he had visited, that this one was a ghost town. Snufkin shook that thought out of his head, remembering why he went out in the first place. To be alone. To be free of other peoples watchful gaze. With a small smile and a skip in his step, Snufkin padded down the street.

Unknowing of his son’s new adventure, The Joxter stretched out on the floor next to Whiny-so’s fireplace. The wintered temperature of the house was much more bearable next to the fireplace, and in the spare room without another's body heat The Joxter was most uncomfortable. So naturally he moved out onto the living room floor, limiting the space for others movement greatly. Whiny-so didn’t find as much enjoyment in this as Joxter had, making it clear with a light kick as she made her way over to her chair with a tray of sandwiches. The Joxter opened an eye at the contact, offering her a sly smirk as he stretched out further. Whiny-so scoffed and placed a plate down next to him, partaking in her own plate afterwards.

“You are so much like a cat that I instinctively made your sandwich tuna. I do hope you don’t mind,” she asked, though any sincerity she tried to add was lost. The Joxter sat up and bit into the snack, shaking his head.

“Is that the truth, or was your husband fond of tuna?” Joxter retorted. Whiny-so coughed as she went to sip her water, recovering quickly before shooting a glare his direction. He held his hands up in an apologetic gesture. Yes, maybe mentioning her kidnapped husband was a bit of a sore spot. 

“Well, I just thought you might be hungry after not eating a smidge in the last two days, but I suppose i'm wrong,” she said, slowly reaching down towards the plate. The Joxter hissed at her, shaking his head vigorously and holding the plate close to his chest with a heated glare. Whiny-so laughed and snatched her hand back, indulging herself with her own sandwich as the room fell into a comfortable silence. Though, Joxter had to guess silence wasn’t one of Whiny-so’s strong suits.

“Whatever happened to little Snufkin? Where did he run off to?” she asked, sipping her tea.

“Oh, I haven't a clue. He’s a wild one, that Snufkin,” Joxter said, happily finishing off his sandwich.

“Aren’t you a bit worried? He is your son, correct?” Joxter nodded. “Well, wouldn't you like to look for him then?” Joxter shook his head.

“No. He likes his alone time, and who am I to take that from him?” he asked, leaning back against the chair leg opposite of Whiny-so. She sighed, rubbing her temples as he smiled at her, pointing a finger her direction.

“I’ll tell you who I would be. A bad father, that's who!” he exclaimed, startling Whiny-so with the sudden shift in volume. She looked at him as if he had gone mad. The Joxter looked like a mysterious man, shrouded in silent secrets and quiet words. He looked like a type of man you would strain to hear, though now that vision was completely shattered. She had never heard his voice grow so loud before. 

“You really care for Snufkin, don’t you?” Whiny-so asked, a small smile on her face. Joxters eyes grew soft, a mirthful expression taking place of the usual mischievous one.

“More than I could say. It is a fathers job to love their young, would you not agree?” 

“Oh, I do agree. It just seems so out of place for you to care so deeply for a child,” Whiny-so laughed, though Joxter did not find this as funny.

“Why is that?” he asked in a slightly irked tone.

“Oh, I don't mean to be rude, but you look to be a man that does not get close to anyone, let alone children!” she laughed, though Joxter’s expression quickly sobered her.

“Looks can be deceiving, I do suppose. I love my son with every inch of my heart. Dare I say I have a second heart for my beloved Mymble,” he explained, though his anger fizzled out by the end. The Joxter never found it appealing to be angry, quite the opposite actually. Anger took up time to be happy, or sad, or napping. It was an awful waste of time in Joxters opinion.

Whiny-so coughed awkwardly, fiddling with her sleeve as the silence stretched on. Joxter migrated closer to the fireplace, dragging a pillow with him. Where he got it, Whiny-so hadn’t a clue. He didn’t have it a few seconds prior. She started sweating. Maybe he was a warlock?

Snufkin breathed in the warm air atop the roof of a house, smiling as he watched a few birds fly high above him. He was slowly getting used to the sweltering heat, though he did end up ripping off the sleeves of Whiny-so’s dress. He hoped she wouldn’t mind, but he also knew it was a terribly rude thing to rip up other people's belongings. Snufkin didn’t mull over it long. She had many dresses, none of which had short sleeves. Given the temperature, she should be thanking Snufkin for the cooler clothing. At least, that’s what he thought.

Before he could jump down and explore more, Snufkin heard a melody. Whimsical and sad, though it made the hot summers day just a bit more bearable. The song felt oddly refreshing, like a cold glass of water after a long summers walk. He felt compelled to go towards it. Well, Snufkin was never one to disregard his instincts. 

The song was close, but Snufkin ran. He wanted to get there faster. He couldn't let the song end! Oh, he loved it too much to let it end without him knowing the origin! He jumped across the rooftops, thankfully close together, and perked up as the melody grew closer and closer. It sounded like it came from a flute! He loved flutes ever since hearing a street performer play one, though this one seemed much more skilled than the hobbyist street performer. It sounded professional. It held emotions that Snufkin couldn’t describe, though he planned on changing that soon enough. He would ask the musician! With that bit more motivation, Snufkin jumped down onto the ground, turning the corner with such excitement only a child could hold. And there, in the middle of a circular clearing paved in stone bricks, was a watery figure. A figure that changed shape, though not as erratically as the last one. There, staring at Snufkin with invisible eyes, holding a flute, was a water spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading yet again! to those who found this from the discord server, you all rock!


	4. of unfinished chapters and dances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry! I haven't updated in so long, and I have the audacity to come back with this measly chapter :( I hope you can forgive me. Schools starting up again so i'm not sure when i'll be able to update again, not to mention I haven't been very motivated recently. But fret not! I'm sure you all have many fanfiction's out there to read :) I'll try to update as soon as I can. If you actually read all of this then comment down bellow! I know i'm not one to read authors notes so thank you! Your comment really help me keep writing so please leave a review ;/ On to the story!

Snufkin’s eyes widened for only a second, before he shook his head and padded up to the still spirit. It looked at Snufkin without so much as a twitch of its finger. It stayed completely still as the small Mumrik approached it.

“Oh, don’t let me stop your wonderful playing. Do go on!” Snufkin insisted, sitting on the cold stones near the spirits feet. Considering the heat, the stones felt fantastic to the poor boys feet, though it was a wonder how they were cool to begin with. The spirit looked a bit surprised, shuffling from foot to foot, before deciding to continue. Snufkin paid little mind to this strange outcome, not remembering he was supposed to fear the creature. Or perhaps he did but shoved that thought away, instead letting the sweet music fill that mindset. The slow, sad melody filled the air and Snufkin fell in love again, closing his eyes and swaying to the music.

The spirit looked over to the small Mumrik at its feet, enjoying its music so dearly. What a strange thing to do, to sit at the feet of your enemy. This confused the spirit to no ends, but nonetheless they continued playing. As its gaze steadied on the young boy, the tone grew happier. The melody became faster and more up beat, causing Snufkin to look up with curious eyes. Then his mouth stretched out into a wide grin. 

Snufkin grabbed the hand of the musician, making the song stutter for only a second before the spirit grew another arm, leaving the boy to do what he wanted with his first one. The spirit was very interested in what he wanted, so they let their hand solidify somewhat for the boy to grip. At first, Snufkin was quite shocked that the spirit grew a third limb, but quickly regained his smile, motioning for the spirit to grow a fourth one. They obliged, growing another one and offering the young boy to hold it. 

To the spirits shock, Snufkin began dancing. He pulled the spirit around as he tried to imitate the dances he saw all the old people doing once, when a band was on stage and a lady was singing. Snufkin found no joy in it at the time, but now he was delighted to dance. The spirit was confused for a moment, but soon it picked up speed and allowed the young boy to dance with them. Snufkin was overjoyed that the spirit was dancing with him, and so he tried even harder to remember how the old folks danced. Though, watching was easier than doing. He felt his foot catch a rock, his hand slipping out of the spirits as he fell backwards. He braced himself, ready to have the air knocked out of him, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see that he was gliding through the air, the spirits watery arms spinning him around. 

It was playing even happier music now, remembering how dancers often spun their partners in the air. Snufkin let out a laugh, being placed on the floor and grabbing the spirits arms again, swirling around the clearing. The merry tune cut through the unforgiving air, causing the temperature to drop drastically. The dancers, however, faltered not a bit as they glided across the stones.

 

“Whiny-so, I do believe it’s gotten colder,” The Joxter called towards the living room. He had opened the window to warm up the house just a bit, but was surprised to find that cool air burst in. Whiny-so’s head popped out from behind the kitchen wall, a confused expression clear as day across her face.

“I’m sorry?” she asked, making her way over to him. 

“See for yourself,” Joxter replied, opening the window yet again. A wave of cool air flowed into the house, making it even colder to Joxters dismay. Whiny-so looked troubled, peering out into the distance with glazed over eyes.

“Oh. oh no. oh this simply isn’t good, not good in the slightest. We need to go,” she demanded, grabbing Joxters arm and rushing out the door. As they pass by, houses began to open up with heads popping out curiously from their windows. So they noticed the temperature drop as well. 

(the reason this is so short is explained in the authors note)


	5. of dancing jigs and being much too short

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey hey! I managed to get a chapter out quicker than expected! and it is all thanks to two special commenters who commented on my last chapter! I told you your comments give me motivation ;) well, I do hope it is to your liking and I would love to see some more comments! because they really brighten my day! thanks a bunch for reading my story!

A crowd was gathering on the outskirts of the clearing, watching something in the center of it. Whiny-so was jittery and anxious, trying to jump up to look past the taller folk though it didn’t do much help. It really only winded her. 

Joxter, However, was one of the tallest creatures there and ,in turn, saw what was happening. He let out a deep, gravelly laugh and looked on with mirth as his son pranced about the expanse, dragging the poor spirit around like a rag doll. The Joxter wasn’t surprised in the least, having gotten used to his sons weird friendships, scarce as they are. Snufkin usually made a friend or two every couple of villages they would visit, and most of the time it was with misfits or little creatures that followed them around. Given that the water spirit was both a misfit and a creature, The Joxter was absolutely marveling at how peculiarly normal this event was, and he was basking in the havoc it was making of Whiny-so’s mind. 

She still couldn’t make out what was going on just out of her vision, but the way Joxter was laughing irked her. It was clear that whatever was going on wasn’t horrific, but she had known joxter long enough to know that anything irregular was his kind of normal. For all she knew, a rock could have grown limbs and started to juggle and Joxter wouldn’t have even batted an eye. She mused on the thought that he would actually make friends with it before a pair of arms hoisted her up and she could finally see what was going on. 

Well, it certainly was odd. 

Virtaava vesi was dancing with Snufkin, helping the little Mumrik whenever he would waver in his step or trip. Throughout the time the water spirit resided in their small town, no one could tell if it was ever happy or sad. It had a hard time expressing emotions, due to the lack of a face, so no one truly knew what Virtaava vesi was feeling. But looking at the spirit now, gliding across the pavement, Whiny-so knew for certain that the spirit was overjoyed. It looked happy, no looming threat of its own kind shadowing over it anymore. It looked free.

The arms holding her up turned out to be Joxter, no surprise there. He was smiling out at Snufkin, and as they caught each others eyes little Snufkin looked at the spirit, smiled, and scampered over to The Joxter. He weaved in between the legs of the shocked bystanders and leaped up into Joxters waiting arms. 

With the song done and the shock worn off, the pedestrians then remembered the mortal danger they were in being outside, and promptly bolted for their houses. All accept the Joxter, Whiny-so, and Snufkin, along with Virtaava vesi. 

The poor spirit looked like it was trying to process when all the creatures started watching it, or how they even got there. 

“Well then, I must say little Snufkin, that was an exquisite show you put on! Very good job,” the Joxter praised, ruffling the kits hair with his free had. He had Snufkin propped up against his hip with an arm firmly wrapped around the child.

“And to you, Virtaava vesi, I would like to thank you for musing my child's antics,” Joxter nodded towards the still shell-shocked spirit. It looked over to him and nodded its head, forming a watery hum. 

“Papa, it played the most wonderful music, did it not? I would like to learn how,” Snufkin decided with a sharp toothed smile Joxter just couldn’t say no to. However, the thought of Snufkin playing such a delicate instrument felt wrong to him. He was a soft spoken and very loving kit, but he was by no means delicate.

Joxter shook the thought out of his head and turned back to the matter at hand. Whiny-so was conversing with the water spirit, looking troubled.

“Why is the temperature so cold now? Surely the spirits will notice and steal us all away without any trouble,” she stuttered. With a silky smooth voice the spirit answered, finally talking after such a long silence.  
“Most likely that very thing will happen. I am sorry for letting my guard down. Due to my mood shifting the coolness of the ocean had traveled here. It will take much to long for the town to heat up once again. So, I have decided to turn myself in,” Virtaava vesi said with grim finality. But The Joxter was never one to do the most obvious solution. 

“I have no qualms against you doing what you please, but if I may, I think I have a better option.” Whiny-so looked at Joxter with curiosity, but the spirit looked unswayed. In its voice like a running lake, it answered.

“I have no need of another option. This one will fulfill its purpose dutifully and quick. There needn't be any more wars between us and them if I do this simple task. I shall go to their hideout in the morning. They most certainly will have no patients to talk of a deal at this time of night,” and with that the spirit walked towards the coal merchants house. 

“One must do what one wants, I do often say,” the joxter sighed and turned to go back to Whiny-so’s house. 

“I have a feeling you say that much too often,” Whiny-so grumbled.

Ignoring their banter, Snufkin looked back at Virtaava vesi’s retreating form with a troubled expression. Why, he simply did not want a musician such as that one to give up their life. In Snufkin’s eyes, songs like those should be shared with the world, not cut off mid-verse as this spirit thinks to do. With determination in his eyes, Snufkin tugged on the sleeve of his fathers  
Dress (technically whiny-so’s, but she had still yet to comment on it) and looked in his eyes. As they tend to do, they had a conversation with no words, and The Joxter smiled and nodded, letting Snufkin jump out of his arms and scurry over towards the Coal merchants home.

Whiny-so let out a long suffering sigh and said, “I'm not even going to ask.”

“Gotten wise over our short stay, now haven't you?” Joxter laughed and continued down the road. Neither of them looked back.


	6. of comforting words and midnight meals

Snufkin padded up to the door of the coal merchants home, hesitating for a second before quickly diverging towards the window, seeing as he was much too small to reach the handle. His paws proved for excellent breaking and entering, as he and Joxter found out on one of their last endeavors, so it wasn’t difficult to open it and sneak inside. The goal wasn’t to be sneaky, however. In fact, Snufkin wanted Virtaava vesi to know he was here almost immediately. The wooden floor boards were freezing against his paws.

It didn’t take long for Snufkin to find them, given the loud talking going on in, what Snufkin assumed, was Virtaava vesi’s room. There was a man, who looked to be the coal merchant, standing over them with a stubborn look of displeasure as Virtaava vesi packed their things (which wasn’t much). 

“I’m telling you, virtaava, you don’t need to do this. In Fact, I implore you not to do this! We can find a way to get everyone back without you having to sacrifice yourself!” He offered, crouching down and stopping them from putting another thing into their small bag. Virtaava sighed and shook their head.

“No, I must do this. I have selfishly stayed cooped up here this entire time as the good people of this town have been taken. It is time I suffer the consequences of my actions,” they said, yanking the object out of the coal merchants grasp and into the bag. They quickly closed it and sat on their bed. “I will set out tomorrow. Thank you for everything you have done for me.”

The coal merchant looked distraught, though he didn’t say anything else as he walked out of the room and down the hall, not seeing Snufkin as he passed. Deciding it was his time to shine, Snufkin slid through the door before it fully closed and padded across the floor. He was in plain sight, practically in the middle of the room with nothing obscuring him from virtaava vesi, but the spirit didn’t seem to notice him. They seemed to be lost in thought, sitting on the bare bed. It only took a second for Snufkin to realize that water spirits probably didn’t need blankets, let alone a mattress. Still, an elevated wooden plank looked far from comfortable.

Without saying a word, he jumped up on the bed next to Virtaava. He had some trouble, given the height, but he clawed his way up and sat down next to his watery friend with a quiet thump. He tried putting his paw on one of their arms (which they still had four of), but it only went right through, making him shiver from the cold. He quickly pulled his paw away, rubbing it with his other paw for warmth. He finally realized why the stones were so cold outside, despite the warm weather. 

“You made the temperature drop outside, did you not?” Snufkin asked with a quiet yet firm voice. It seemed to echo across the empty room, and he felt very small all of a sudden. Snufkin knew he was small compared to most, but he never saw himself any different than the old people bustling about around him. But in this big, dark, quiet room he felt very, very small. Virtaava vesi looked straight ahead, but he saw a little dip of their head, confirming his theory. 

“And what about the shimmers around the fires? And the coldness in Whiny-so’s home?” he questioned further. Virtaava seemed to have a ripple effect across their body for a few seconds before letting out a watery sigh.

“The barriers around the fires are my doing, yes. They make it so it traps the heat and directs it outside. This makes the insides of people's homes very cold. It's to battle the heat of the outside. They say they don't mind, but I know they do. They all must be freezing. Oh, what a burden I've been,” Virtaava slumped forward a bit, letting their bag of belongings fall onto the floor in a sad pile. They sat in silence for a moment. Snufkin’s eyes scanned the room.

It held close to no possessions or decorations. It was a medium sized room but it felt gigantic, like a cave a dragon would hide in. There was a lone dresser in the corner and and small table next to the bed holding a picture of Virtaava with the coal merchant and a few other people Snufkin didn't recognize. The walls seemed to stretch on forever, though in reality if Snufkin climbed up the dresser he could jump and touch the ceiling. 

Dust coated almost everything but the floor and the bed. The small particles floated around in the air, making everything feel heavier. He looked over to Virtaava vesi. It was silent for a few more moments.

“My papa said it’s not nice of someone to put expectations on another person, but I do believe you are not a burden. Far from it. I hope you don't mind, but I overheard a snippet of your conversation with the coal merchant and it sounded like he cares about you very much. Whiny-so told me that you were like a family member to her,” Snufkin tried to console. He wasn't very experienced with this kind of social interaction. Virtaava vesi looked over to him with two bubbles in the water he decided to interpret as eyes. 

“I know my worth here, but it is just so hard to look at myself as anything other than a burden. And now I've gone and let my feelings get out of control. I ruined the heat we’ve been building up over all this time, just because of one happy moment,” 

“why worry about the temperature when you just had a marvelous time dancing with me? I had quite a wonderful time myself. Your music was very lovely,” Snufkin complimented. 

The room got a bit colder, and Snufkin took that as a sign of Virtaava being happy. He smiled with glee and decided to leave them with one last message before he scampered off to his father.

“I'm willing to say, I think most people here would be happy to help rescue the kidnapped villagers. They just need someone to lead them,” and with that, he jumped off the bed and skipped towards the door, closing it with a small click before Virtaava could say anything.

He looked about, trying to remember how to get out of the house. His night eyes helped him see where to turn. A sliver from a candle lit room to the side of him hit his eyes, disorienting him for just a moment. He peeked inside out of curiosity and saw the coal merchant at the foot of his bed, his hands gripping one another as he whispered a prayer. 

“Please, I love them. Don't take them away from me.”

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

The air was very cool outside, a nice contrast to how he was feeling that afternoon. The cooler temperature had a few people willing to go outside this time of night, conversing with one another. Considering how no one was willing to go outside earlier due to the heat, he had to guess that they wanted to know who was taken and who was not. A girl with feathers snaking up her arms was crying as a man told her that her friend was taken. Others were having more pleasant conversations. The moon shone brightly down on all of them.

Snufkin walked to Whiny-so’s house with heavy steps. The day had been tiring, and all he wanted to do was to curl up in his father's hat on the rafters and sleep. Before that, however, he was going to raid poor whiny-so’s pantry for a midnight snack. 

He felt eyes on the back of his neck, and he changed his positioning from the ground to the roof. 

When he entered the cozy little home he found Whiny-so and The Joxter chatting in the living room. The fire was extinguished and the barrier was gone. Joxter notice him first, smiling and setting the tired Mumrik in his lap and giving him a little slice of cheese he was nibbling on. 

“It’s been a tiring day I see. Let's get you something good to eat and then get you to bed, little one. I take it you talked to Virtaava vesi?” The Joxter asked, standing up with the child still in his arms. Snufkin nodded, placing his cheek on his father's shoulder and giving out a sigh. 

“Emotions are quite weird. And tiring,” he yawned. The Joxter let out a laugh, being careful not to jostle his kit as they made their way to the kitchen. 

“They are indeed, but they are necessary to life. Emotions are very powerful. They are what keep me going back to your dear MymbleMama’s home every few years,” The Joxter said, placing his son on the counter top as he ruffled around in the pantry, pulling out some bread and butter with some fruit. He got a plate and started preparing the light meal, tapping his son on the shoulder every time his head dipped down a bit too much. Once finished, he carried his son and the food back to the living room, sitting in a chair for once across from whiny-so. She looked at the small Mumrik nibbling on the bread and chuckled to herself.

“Ah, despite being such a rascal, I think I would like to have a child like your little Snufkin,” she smiled. The Joxter huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

“I'm afraid he’s one of a kind,” he laughed, snatching a grape from his sons plate. The child, in question, grumbled a little and pawed at his father's hand, though he didn't look mad. Only slightly annoyed. He let his son have a few more minuets to eat. After some peaceful quiet he felt a weight on his chest. Snufkin was leaning peacefully against him, gripping onto his dress as the plate threatened to slip off the little kits lap. 

“And with that, I believe we should head to bed,” The Joxter declared, scooping up his son and setting the empty plate down on the table next to him. He navigated the dark halls with ease and found their room quickly, dropping Snufkin in his hat before placing the clothing neatly on a pillow in the middle of the nest he made on the floor. The Joxter was about to curl around his son and drift off happily to sleep until he heard Whiny-so approach the room, practically fuming as she opened the door. She was as quiet as can be, being careful as to not wake Snufkin, but swiftly pulled Joxter out by the collar of his (her) dress back into the living room. 

“Well now mister, I know what your doing and i'm not going to fall for it!” she huffed, though there was no real edge to her voice. The Joxter just hummed in question.

“You want to pull the old ‘I must take care of my child, so I simply can't do my own dishes!’ trick! Well it's not happening mister!” she said, doing her best interpretation of Joxters voice.

Joxter laughed, holding his hands up in surrender as he walked over to the table and picked up the plate. Padding over to the kitchen he got to work. Whiny-so watched him, practically appalled that he didn't use soap.

“Out in the wild, the only soap you need is the kind to wash your body. You have no room for unnecessary things,” Joxter informed, chuckling at Whiny-so’s disgusted face.

“But in sure you have some room in your bag for some dish washing soap! I think it's quite necessary! You can't just rinse it off and call it a day!” she cried.

“Well I do use a rag, if that is any better? As a wanderer you must carry very few things to stay light and free,” he said, finally deciding to put soap on it much to Whiny-so's relief.

“Well, what do you carry?” 

“That, my friend, will remain a wanderers secret”

“Oh now that is just rude! Why I-” whiny-so’s ramble was cut short by a crash coming from down the hall. From Snufkin and Joxters room. Joxter dropped the plate, his instincts screaming at him that something is not right. He bolted towards the room, barely making a sound as he readied his claws. His pupils narrowed into slits as he threw open the door.

This spirit was much bigger than the ones he saw on his past journeys, and nowhere near the size of the two Joxter had seen in this town. Its head and back were hunched over as to not hit the ceiling. Its watery body looked like pitch black oil in the darkness, dripping down near the still sleeping form of his son. It had three arms, one being held out as if to grab the young Mumrik. 

Oh, this spirit had made an awful mistake. An awful, terrible mistake. And Joxter was going to make sure it would never make this kind of mistake again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated in so long! I'm so sorry! anyways, i think your all tired of the apologies, so i'll stop with them for now. hope you liked the chapter! I spent a good few hours on it and its about five pages long in google docs! crazy, right? Please comment!!! all your comments make me so happy and they get me writing more! what motivated me to do this chapter was re-reading all your lovely comments! so do consider commenting! have a lovely night/day!


	7. of authors notes

you can skip this if you want to, its just a bit of information on how the story is going and why i haven't posted a chapter in so long. i completely understand if you dont want to read this, i don't like these either. :)

 

this story will be on hiatus for a little while, but i'm not abandoning it! don't fret! i have most the next chapter written so if i was really going to abandon it ill at least give you all i've written for it. i have been slipping out of the fandom but i tend to come back around every few months or so to fandoms i thought i escaped from, so ill be back. thank you for your patience and thank you for reading this story. your comments mean so much to me and you're all amazing people!! i'll see you soon!


	8. Of cold waters and scorching fires

Snufkin was awoken almost instantly as he was scooped up by the creature, thrashing about in his watery prison. He was trapped in the spirits large arms, unable to break the surface to get air. The joxter saw this and acted immediately, movements like lightning as he jumped up on the dresser and pounced. The spirit was too slow to solidify its body, granting Joxter easy access in and out of it, holding Snufkin in his protective arms. The poor Mumrik was coughing up lungfuls of water, clutching his fathers dress in a death grip. The spirit made a growling sound, its body shaking before it completely lost its form, falling to the floor into a puddle. It advanced to where the Joxter stood, climbing up his legs and anchoring him into place. He tried to rip himself from the creatures grasp, but he was firmly stuck, with the water getting closer and closer to his head. He threw Snufkin to the bed, watching as he climbed up to the rafters with wide, scared eyes.

Just as his head was about to be engulfed, Whiny-so ran into the doorway, looking up at Joxter with horror. She grit her teeth and her hand gripped the lanter she held tighter. She let out a strangled sound and rushed over to Joxter, dropping the lanter as she grabbed his hand and tried to pull him out of the spirits grasp. Despite her efforts, neither the spirit nor Joxter budged. Her eyes scanned the room wildly, looking for Snufkin as she pulled. The Joxters head was covered by water. 

Snufkin, still hiding away in the rafters, was watching this all take place as he clutched his stomach. He was still coughing up water, though less violently. He shakily sucked in a breath as he took what little context he had to piece together what was happening. His hair was frizzy and his pupils were slits. The hair on his tail stood straight up as it thrashed around wildly. His eyes flickered over to Whiny-so before focusing on the Joxter. Snufkins father, the man who raised him and protected him. He was drowning. The water was now a shaky bubble around him as he thrashed about, trying to free himself. 

Snufkin gripped the side of the beam and his knees pressed up against the wood as he readied himself to pounce. He let out a hiss, one much louder and deeper than any other he had made in his life. The spirit stilled and Whiny-so’s head shot up to look at him, relief covering her face. 

The relief was short lived, however, because Snufkin shot off the beam and plunged straight into the spirit, clawing away at water around his father's face while trying to drag him upwards. Somehow this worked, and the Joxter was able to take in a deep breath before being pulled back under. 

The Joxter looked around for his kit in the murky dark waters, seeing Snufkin at the very bottom, being pushed down to the floor. The Joxter swam towards him, holding him close to his chest as he clawed away at the now solidified exterior of the water spirit. Despite his sharp claws, he could never seem to break the surface tension. His vision blurred and he looked down at his son cradled in his arms. Suddenly, the world around them was engulfed in a blurry red, orange, and yellow vortex. The warped face of Whiny-so entered his vision, Her hand somehow managing to break through the spirit and she grabbed a fist full of his dress, pulling him out.

The Joxter sucked in as much air as he could before coughing it up almost immediately, seeing blackish water pool around him as he coughed it up. Little Snufkin was doing to same, though he was looking around in shock. Despite being soaking wet, they both felt very… hot. Whiny-so’s worried yells were thrown upon deaf ears as they both looked at each other, assuring themselves that the other was ok.

“What… what is going on?” Snufkin coughed, looking over to Whiny-so, though she was trying to get Joxters attention.

“Joxter! We need to go!” she shouted over the roar of… flames? It burned close to the ground, though the fire took up most of the floor. It only took a second for Joxter to react, pulling Snufkin close to his chest and gabbing Whiny-so’s hand. He pulled them through the already broken window, careful to not get cut on the glass. They rolled out of the house onto the cool grass, scrambling to get farther from the building before turning around to look back. The house was engulfed in flames, red and yellow tendrils spewing out of the windows and doors. The already-dead rose bushes surrounding the house were pitifully swallowed by the flames, one last wilting Rose falling to the ground with singed petals. 

“What… what had happened…?” The Joxter panted out. Whiny-so sucked in a breath before answering. 

“The, the lanter. The glass broke when I dropped it and I hadn’t noticed before it was too late,” she said, falling to her knees as she watched her house burn.

The Joxer remained silent. He sat down as well, setting Snufkin in front of him and inspecting him. His hair stuck to his face and his clothes were torn, but he looked to be ok. His eyes were wide as he looked up at his father. He looked lost. They were filled with confusion, fear, and exhaustion. Joxters heart clenched at the sight. He pulled his son close to his chest, ignoring the irritating feeling of wet fabric.

“I take it the fire evaporated the protective layer of the spirit?” The Joxter asked, eyes closed.

“Most likely,” Whiny-so answered, though her voice was choked up. Her hair was frizzy and burnt, with her dress singed something bad. Her feet were blistered and red, most likely from the fire. 

They sat in silence, taking in what had happened. Neighbors were trickling out of their homes, watching the fire overtake the house. Some brought out buckets of water, though it did little to nothing to help the house. 

A cold wind blew across the town. Snufkin wiggled out of The Joxters arms and struggled to get out of the dress. It seems he didn't like the feeling of wet fabric either. The Joxter helped him out of it, though he had little patients with it. He cut off the buttons with his claws and helped Snufkin wiggle free of it. Once he was out (with nothing but his bloomers on) he shook the water off. The Joxter was much too exhausted to do that, so instead he just shook as much water off himself as possible and fell into his back, letting out a sigh.

“Are you alright, love?” The Joxter asked, just to make sure. Snufkin hopped up onto his father's chest and nodded his head. The sun wouldn't rise for another few hours, but they all knew none of them would be falling asleep for a while. Not that they had any time to, that is. 

The Joxter felt his back grow cold and coated in water before the weight on his chest was scooped up. With a cuss he shot up and saw the black blob carry his son towards the woods, on the outskirts of the town. The spirit was surprisingly agile and annoyingly resilient. 

“Damnit!” The Joxter yelled, shooting after it. It didn't take him long to catch up, though they were now in the woods. Being able to faze through trees gave the spirit an upper hand, though it still had Snufkin to consider. Thankfully that slowed its pace. The Joxter evaluated his situation, and realized the spirit was going to outmatch him. It was too quick. Too agile. He could not keep up if this went on for too much longer. His face was scratched by twigs and his feet were scraped and crusted with mud and dirt, but it didn't slow him down in the slightest. 

He needed to get his kit back.

He Had to get his kit back. 

. He thought about all the things his son wouldn't learn nor see. He thought about the loneliness of walking back to that warm cottage near the river. He thought of his dear Mymble’s face if he came back bearing news of the lost child. How little My would scorn him till his final days and how the Mymble’s daughter couldn't even bear to look at him. Then he thought of Snufkin's face, smiling and bright and mischievous. He couldn't lose that. He wouldn’t lose that.

With newfound motivation giving him a boost of speed, he found himself springing out into a clearing, a large cave opening at the base of a mountain only a few feet away. He saw the retreating form of the spirit slither behind a bend in the cave. Wasting no time the Joxter rushed in after it. 

The cave was long and had many winding tunnels turning this way and that. It was a maze, meant for you to get lost. It had only one correct path.

If Joxter had to guess, he'd say the others all lead to dead ends or traps. He could smell the blood from here. They went dizzyingly fast and Joxter was sure he was lost after they took the fifth turn. 

The spirit slowed when the narrow tunnel opened up into a large cavern, one giant cell being carved out of the wall right in front of them. Many faces were peering back at them from the cell, a mix of old and young. They must be the kidnapped villagers, Joxter concluded. There were no torches, leaving the cavern near black, though it did nothing to the Joxter and his night eyes. In a voice almost impossible to understand, the spirit holding his son shouted out,

“I have a straggler!”

In under a second, his body was engulfed in water from his feet up to his neck. This time it seemed they didn't want to drown him. How thoughtful. He was practically thrown into the cell, though thankfully he was there to catch Snufkin as he was tossed in. 

He held his son close, curling up into a ball around the small, quivering figure. 

“Are you alright?” a kind voice asked, but Joxter just hissed and remained where he was. He had had a very long night, and was in no mood for pleasantries. He was beaten and sore and so very Exhausted. He was caught in a cage and he had gotten so close to being burned alive and drowned, oddly at the same time. He hadn’t even had his daily nap. 

But despite all of that he smiled.

Snufkin, safe in his arms, was wiggling around, trying to free himself into a position where he could see his fathers face. Joxter eased up a bit, loosening his grip to see his sons face. The poor kit looked ridiculous. His hair was sticking every witch way and his stern eyes didn't match his puffy cheeks. 

“I heard you!” Snufkin pouted.

“Heard what of me?” the Joxter laughed, not at all surprised that he would talk so normally after such an ordeal. 

“You cursed!” Snufkin lamented, his mouth forming a stubborn frown. The Joxter laughed, full hearted and joyful.

“Ah, I'm truly sorry about that dove, I really am,” Joxter laughed out, rolling onto his back and hugging the pouting child.

“Well you certainly don’t sound like it!” Snufkin whined, voice muffled by Joxters still-wet-dress. The Joxter laughed once more, enjoying this calm moment in the middle of a disaster. 

“Uhm, sir, are you and that boy unharmed?” the same voice from before, though a bit more hesitant, asked. Ah, yes. They were both stuck in a cell. They were prisoners. 

Joxters heart clenched at the thought of having his freedom taken away. This wasn't right. He and Snufkin should be out in nature. The Joxter shook that thought away.

They had more important things to worry about.

“Ah, yes, well for the most part we are doing well. I'm quite sorry for being rude earlier.” Joxter smiled up at the girl, finally standing up with Snufkin placed firmly on his hip. 

“It's quite alright. None of us were particularly high spirited when we first got here either.” the girl laughed. 

“Who are you? I've never seen you before?” a little boy to the right of him asked. 

“Me and my son were traveling and happened upon this town,”

“Oh dear, well I am mighty sorry you got caught up in all of this,” a burly man said. The Joxter looked at him for a second, wondering where he had seen him before.

“Are you Whiny-so’s husband?” Snufkin helpfully supplied. Of course! He had seen pictures of him and Whiny-so scattered around the house! The man looked shocked, brows furrowing for a second before answering.

“Why yes, though I'd like to know how you would know that?” he said. 

“She had tried to warn us not to come into the village, and when we did not listen she let us stay at her house. She is quite nice,” Snufkin said, hugging Joxters side. He could tell his kit was getting very tired. His eyes fluttered and he leaned heavily onto Joxters side. Joxter couldn’t fault him for that. It had been a rough couple hours. Yet despite that he had tried to remain nice and polite towards the new people. 

Joxter decided to reward Snufkin when they got out of this mess. He had been awfully good all things considered. 

The burly man smiled and twisted the end of his beard, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Ah, that’s my Whiny-so. Soft hearted as ever.” There was a fondness in his tone. 

“And hard fisted!” A man in the back shouted, causing a few people to chuckle. 

“Yep, that to. Couldn’t get through one day without her reprimandin’ me for something. Got a nasty punch, that one,” Whiny-so’s husband laughed, making the whole cave feel a bit less cramped. 

“Here here, my friend. Got a taste of it in our short stay. You surely picked a feisty one,” Joxter smiled, thinking of his darling Mymble. 

“Ah, it was more like she picked him,” a lady next to the man laughed, nudging him and getting more laughs out of everyone. Hearing this, Joxter finally realized how closely knit this town was. They were joking and quipping with each other like family, which he supposed they were. Comparative to most other towns, this one was quite small, so looking back on it Joxter didn’t know how he couldn’t come up with this conclusion on his own.

“My name’s Aapeli. I take it you made sure Whiny-so didn’t do anything rash?” Her Husband asked, holding out his hand. Joxter took it with his free hand, giving the man a firm shake. A lazy smile creeped up on his face as he sat down in one of the corners of the cell, moving Snufkin from his hip to his lap as he continued chatting with the man. 

Snufkin looked between them, noting with annoyance how the man didn’t hold out his hand towards Snufkin. He would have shaken it just like his papa. Now that he thought about it, Whiny-so also usually just spoke to Joxter. It was strange to Snufkin, how grown ups acted. He shrugged, leaving that thought for another day. He was much too sleepy to get truly aggravated about it now. 

He played with the tip of his tail as he waited for his papa to stop talking to the man, but eventually he got too tired. The soft chatter and the thump of his father's heart lulled him to sleep, snuggling deep into his father's slightly damp clothes as he purred. This causes The Joxter to momentarily stutter in his conversation with Aapeli, looking down at the small purring creature nuzzling his chest. He smiled fondly down at the kit, looking up to see Aapeli doing the same. 

“Whiny-so and I want a kid. It must be nice,” he smiled, draping one arm over his propped up knee. 

“Worth every second,” Joxter replies, smoothing down Snufkin’s wet hair. The amount of water still clinging to both of them made Joxter frown. They were going to catch colds at this rate. 

“Welp, I’ve kept you long enough. Go get yourself some sleep. Some of us are snorers so I hope you don’t mind to much noise!” Aapeli laughed, pushing himself up from the ground. Joxter smiled up at him, though his eyes widened for a second as he thought of something. 

“Wait. Do any of you have spare clothes?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t as long as I had wanted it to be but this chapter had been in the works for much too long. Sorry for the wait! It’s about 10pm where I am and I am much too tired to go through all of it again to find the mistakes, so if you could point them out to me in the comments it would be much appreciated. hope it’s to your liking!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm a bad writer and I've posted this without writing any of the next chapter, so please Comment or leave a Kudos to get me writing more if you would be so kind. Your feedback really makes me smile and I read every single one of them! if you believe I need warnings, tell me and I will add them!


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